Adding up the cost of compressed air

25 February, 2016

It’s the same in a manufacturing plant. Air is a free resource; so understanding that compressed air is an expense doesn’t occur to most people. It might be the fourth utility but it’s the one that’s always forgotten.

Until you add a KPI to reduce energy consumption to the Balanced Score Card of every employee, it’s unlikely that they will take responsibility. If they know that something needs to be done and they’re being measured on it, you could find that they then become consciously incompetent – at least that’s a small improvement. They might start to be part of the cure rather than the cause.

To make any significant change you have to change the culture of the organisation. It’s only by every person being responsible that substantive savings can really be made.

Education is the key

The key to this is education. Part of this education means they need to see what can be achieved to believe it can be done. It’s about turning the invisible resource of air into a visible asset and showing viable ways to reduce costs. That’s when you’ll make serious savings and hit your KPIs to reduce the cost of your energy.

www.festo-didactic.co.uk/eee